A suspect is accused in the torching of a refugee shelter 30 years back, killing one Ghanaian and injuring 2 others.
German prosecutors arrested an extremist of far right who was being accused of setting fire to a house for refugees in 1991.
The initial investigation into the blaze had been dropped due to local authorities’ inability to identify a suspect. The federal prosecutors were able to find new evidence over three decades, which led to Monday’s capture.
Peter S. (a German citizen aged 49) will face trial for attempted murder, murder, murder and arson leading towards death.
Investigators believe the extremist was motivated by the racial violence taking place in Eastern Germany during that time. He discussed his idea with other far right activists and decided to execute a similar attack in Saarlouis (a Western German city located near France and Luxembourg).
Peter S. went to an asylum residence on September 18th 1991. He poured gasoline onto the staircase and lit it. Samuel Yeboah was a 27-year old refugee from Ghana who fell asleep on top of the building. Hours later, after suffering severe burns and inhaling fatal amounts of smoke, Yeboah died at a local hospital. Another resident broke his bones jumping from a windowsill. Unharmed, 18 others managed to escape.
OSCE data shows that hate crime in Germany has increased annually every year since 2016. The number of victims of hate crimes in Germany surpassed 10,000 by 2020 according to OSCE figures. Research has shown that an influx in migrants is responsible for the rise in hate-crime violence.
This story can be shared on social media
[ad_2]
